Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Step Up’ Category

a determined dog

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
-Mark Twain

Human beings neither have the strength of the gorilla, the speed of the cheetah, nor the plumage of the peacock. Our distinguishing feature as a species is of course our intelligence. It’s no wonder then that no other topic is as emotionally charged and as hotly debated as IQ. Though not the same as intelligence, IQ still remains our best approximation. The problem with studies on IQ is that they mostly describe populations, not individuals. To say that a high IQ population vis-à-vis a low IQ population will tend to be wealthier is like saying a group of big dogs will tend to overpower a group of small dogs. That doesn’t really say anything about the capabilities or motivation of any single dog.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

a swirl of colors on a canvas

He spins around and walks back toward his room. I hear his laughter echoing from down the hallway, “Haha-haa!”

I turn back, but I can’t resummon the mental image I had created. There’s nothing but a vast emptiness to my small room.

“Bui, get ready!” Goethe yells from inside his room.

“For what?” I yell back.

“We’re going out!”

(more…)

Read Full Post »

moonlight

Nearly 2 years had gone by and all of the guys had moved out, all except me and George. Ever the people-connector, he recruited a new member into our fraternity. He embodied the dynamism of Jake, the carefree presence of Brady, the conviction of George, and the passion of Manny. He was big, larger than life, and his name was Goethe.

*****

(more…)

Read Full Post »

red fire, black silhouette

Manny and I had been friends for years, going out about once a month whenever we both found ourselves single at the same time. When he had told me about his friend George and his idea to bring together the 6 of us under one roof, I instantly knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I always knew Manny to be a bit more impulsive than me, but it wasn’t until I lived with him that I discovered that he was a veritable fire in human form.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

a handprint on a cave

Several months had passed when George called together our third house meeting. The 5 of us had moved in together because of an ideal, a concept called the “Master Mind.” It was an idea proposed in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The basic gist was that if you surrounded yourself with motivated team players, you could form an interdependent group in which each member would be driven to greater heights of success than had he gone it alone. People outside our little motivational fraternity were inclined to making fun of us, calling us “weird,” “try-hards,” or the ubiquitous “nerds.” But through the strength of George’s conviction, we grounded ourselves amidst a storm of criticism.

***** (more…)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »